Search for a Soul
Chapter 2
"Buried emotions"
By MEGAMANX411

X turned his head to see Alia walking down the hallway towards him. Everything seemed to slow down in that instant, just as Alia walked by. She seemed almost oblivious to all the pain that was in the world, because she had a smile on her face. She was easily able to accept the fact that it was a good day, and somehow managed to block out all the negative information that seemed to take some form of enjoyment in tormenting X. Alia was quite beautiful, and X believed that as well. Not to say that he openly discussed her attraction, it's just that he could admit that she looked nice. Zero had obviously coaxed him before, and X had said that he thought Alia looked well...beautiful. He would never stoop to committing something lecherous though. It just wasn't in him. Still though, X felt something about Alia. Her presence was somewhat calming, at least.

Alia turned to see X, and waved at him. Such a simple gesture would be deemed normal in almost every social situation, but for a reason he simply couldn't fathom, X was almost too stunned to react. X tried to voice his response, he tried to say hello back to Alia, to show that he was there. But by the time he managed to force out his greeting, Alia had already walked past him, and was making her way down towards the end of the hall. He had completely missed his chance. Somewhere in his mind, something clicked, almost as if his mind was feebly reprimanding him for not taking initiative. Saying "hi" back would've been a nice gesture, and it would seem rude not to respond.

"H-hi..." X muttered, waving back futilely.

X then looked down to the ground in apparent sadness. He sighed lightly as he looked back, and tried forcing a smile to his face. After all, nothing bad happened today, and the weather was nice, so why wouldn't this qualify as a good day? X should be able to smile. But such a feeling seemed very hard to come by for him. He really envied Zero and Alia. Zero could remain a prankster, and could really let out his smile. Alia could also enjoy a good day. X, on the other hand, had a sad demeanor plastered on his face almost all the time. Not only was he rather dense when it came to any issue of women or romance, he was an incredible idealist to boot. Not to mention the fact how naive some people perceived him to be.

X walked through Maverick Hunter HQ, trying to occupy himself, yet at the same time remain ever vigilant in case a mission is presented to him. Suddenly though, he got the strange urge to revisit some information from the past. He had gone through quite a few missions already, and it was becoming harder and harder for him to get more done. He wondered how he was able to handle his first mission so easily. He was almost excited. It was a noble cause, after all. He came upon the Maverick records database, and decided to take a look through it.

"Storm Eagle..." he muttered, reading one of the files.

He remembered fighting Storm Eagle. That was one of the first Mavericks that X had fought. And at that time, he assumed it would've ended after he defeated Sigma. X grabbed another file. This one was on the X-Hunters: Agile, Serges, and Violen. X remembered fighting them as well. They were assassins who were given the order of destroying X, and they used Zero's parts as leverage. X's eyes winced when he saw the word "RETIRED" in big red letters across the document. X had always questioned the use of that word within Maverick Hunter HQ. They used "retired" to say that they defeated an enemy Maverick. It was merely a better way of saying killed or murdered. After all, that's what X had done. Even though defeating an enemy in the line of duty could be considered noble to some, X certainly didn't think so. Who could possibly justify taking the life of another? No one is ever born with such a right. X sighed and put the files back into their appropriate places.

"Is someone in here?" a familiar voice asked.

"It's me, X," Mega Man X replied, his voice rather meek as usual.

"Oh, it's just you, I thought it was someone else," the figure replied.

X took a moment to recognize the figure, but he saw that it was Alia. Her blonde hair bounced with each step she took. She didn't have her navigating gear on, so X was able to get a better look at her. She really was quite pretty. X never really took the time to actually get a good look at her. Instantly, he could feel his face become warm. It was like a sudden rush of heat had flooded into him, and he really didn't want Alia to see it. He decided that looking at her might be considered offensive, so he tried to stop.

"Oh...h-hi..." X muttered, averting his eyes.

Alia smiled politely. She was a very polite person by nature. She had rarely ever raised her voice, and really remained to be a good example for everyone. Maybe that was part of the reason X envied her. She seemed just perfect. Her job training did include a regiment on combat measures and field training, but she didn't undertake the same missions X did. He may have been a little jealous that she didn't have to fight, but that wasn't it. He just wished he could experience the smile that she always wore.

"Hello X," she replied. "Is there some business you have with the database?" she asked.

X shook his head.

"N-no...I just thought it may be interesting to read," he replied, looking to the ground.

"You seem awfully tense," Alia noted, looking a bit worried. "Maybe you should rest for a bit."

X shook his head once again. His responses were rather weak and timid, like that of a child. Truthfully, X was still so innocent that he might have been confused for a child in some respects. He was completely oblivious to the machinations of love, among other emotions. He wouldn't even begin to understand the feeling if he had it in the first place, that is. Alia was just a very kind person, and X knew that there was no possible way anyone could ever like him beyond the level of politeness...there was just no way, or at least, that's what he assumed to be the truth.

"I'm fine, it's nothing," he replied, obviously referring to his physical well being when he said nothing was wrong.

"Well, just don't push yourself. You may be a top Maverick Hunter, but you need to be in prime condition for work," Alia explained, reminding X of his duties.

Alia smiled politely, and kept a warm expression on her face. She really did look nice, and she was a very cheerful person around Maverick Hunter HQ. Her presence was quite a change from everyone else's. However, X soon realized that he hadn't responded to Alia's comment. So, X quickly nodded, and began to walk out of the room. Just then, the alarm went off. The signal for X to embark on yet another mission. He reported back to Signas immediately. Signas was standing erect, appearing before him as a true symbol of authority. He definitely had a sort of commanding feel about him, but X just thought that it was always his nature.

"X, good to see you're here. Zero, you as well," he added, nodding to the famous Maverick Hunter.

Signas' voice was firm like iron. He never was one to joke around, and he hardly ever took matters lightly. He was a brilliant tactician, and that was largely the reason why he had went through the ranks so quickly. X and Zero listened to him closely.

"What's the deal, Signas?" Zero asked.

Zero somehow always managed to remain calm during missions. X had always wondered how exactly his partner could remain so level-headed. Zero had always taken on any mission with the greatest of ease. X didn't agree with some of Zero's methods, but they still remained to be best friends.

"Straight to the point, I see," Signas replied.

A screen was brought up behind him. Maverick Hunter HQ had nearly instantaneous access to any sort of information, largely due to its amazing communication network. Alia was partly responsible for that, seeing as she was the top navigator of the organization. Not all of the missions they embarked where that big though, so there were times when X and Zero got called in for rather mundane events.

"It's a rather small scale assault compared to any of the previous missions you have faced. I don't think this Maverick has any ties to Sigma. He's just violent," Signas explained, pointing the screen.

X nodded slowly. He really didn't want to undertake this mission. But he really couldn't feel comfortable about protesting it. After all, what would Signas think if X said that he refused to take a mission? What kind of Maverick Hunter refuses to help the public? It would make him look awful.

"Yes sir, I understand," X replied.

"Your mission is to retire this Maverick as soon as possible, and to make sure no innocents are harmed. Understood?" Signas asked, his voice dignified as ever.

X and Zero both nodded in unison. However, one could clearly see that Zero's eyes shone with determination, whereas X's gaze hid a crushing sadness.

"Understood."